COLD❄BLOOD/Incubus Eyes/Feelin' the Blues
Feelin' the Blues is the fourth episode of the Japanese anime Incubus Eyes, written by lead writer Athena Panacea. In this episode, Pierce Hazel walks in the studio to try and record something with his band, only for things to take a sour turn and result in Black Haze's disbandment. All four band members must take it upon themselves to apologize to each other, but with some members holding grudges against each other, Silver Zin decides to intervene to save everyone's career, especially his boyfriend's. Transcript The screen fades from black, showing Pierce Hazel walking into a weathered and battered building shaped like an upright bass guitar. He walks into the cobweb-littered dark Black Haze recording studio, accompanied by his close friend Vizole Cole, his second-best friend and a siren. Hazel handles vocals while Cole plays lead guitar, together forming the core of the band's sound. Their two accompanying musicians, the punk-dressed Devina Kilmister and her robotic ghost hunter Black Eyes, were already at the studio respectively tweaking their bass guitar and drumset for the upcoming rehearsal sessions. Pierce places down an album cover and some notes on his table, grinning a bit as he walks in. :Pierce: Hey you two, it's been a hot minute huh? Devina and Black Eyes pause the instrumental tweaking when he began talking, bringing their focus to him. Pierce sits in a wooden seat, taking his mic off the workstation. :Black Eyes: Oh shit. his lights on Wassap? :Pierce: Sorry about the delayed arrival, we've just recovered from sore throats. :Devina: It's alright Pierce, it's not like you chose to get sick or anything. then grimaces But... you know that there's no excuses at this point. We have, like, two weeks to finish the recording for this album before we need to hand it in to Voetrice to be produced. :Pierce: Right. slowly We should be able to finish the record though, we've completed at least seven tracks, yeah? It shouldn't be that bad if we just look over whatever demos we have around and decide what'll be best for the album. :Vizole: That's correct, my peachy little friend! sharply, turning to the bassist Now that we've finished recovering from our sore throats, whatever new material was recorded for a demo we can send? There was silence in the room for a moment. Black Eyes tapped his cymbals a few times with his drumsticks, which looked ridiculously small for someone of his figure. He tilted his head down, as if wondering how the hell he was going to play live. :Devina: We haven't recorded anything since our last session together, sorry guys. sighs I mean, we did come down to the studio, but we really haven't gotten far 'cuz Black Eyes and I ran into creative differences. :Black Eyes: She wanted to put a piano solo somewhere on this goddamn album, Hazel! growls It would ruin the naked pureness of our album, drawing away from the raw and focused attack! :Devina: And he's been trying to back at me for even merely suggesting such a thing by attempting to consume my child! breathes He's been slowing us down since you two left to recover! Black Eyes immediately gets up, tossing his drumsticks behind him, spinning his green head around as it glows a passionate red. He points a metallic finger to his chest, his sockets glowing a candlelit gold. :Black Eyes: Me?? straight in Devina's direction You're the one trying to apply all this unnecessary poppy bullshit to the album when it doesn't need it! If anyone, YOU'VE been largely responsible for slowing us down by intervening too much with the flow Pierce gave us to follow! Devina scrambles up from her seat, placing her bass guitar to the side as she rolls up her sleeves and storms right up to Black Eyes, both angrily glaring at each other. Though more than 25 inches shorter than her robotic teammate, Devina looked very unfazed. :Pierce: Alright you two, let's not resort to fighting. between them, pushing them aside with his telekinetic powers I've told you both before that it's childish to pick fights as petty as this! :Black Eyes: Hey Hazel, is it really being childish on my end if I'm just trying to defend myself from this controlling, manipulative asshole redhead? spreading out his claws Listen to me! She's so insensitive about everything we do... I'm gonna tear her a new one! :Pierce: Overreacting like this is also childish, Black Eyes, which is what you're both doing. tries to grab his hand Besides, if we keep fighting like this, we won't be able to finish the record as we intend to. :Devina: You're acting like our record will even sell anything, Hazel. her eyes as she gets up from the floor By the way, thanks for that push, shows how mature you really are. :Black Eyes: I have my own qualms with how he treated me, but don't you dare try to pretend you're everyone's mother here! his arms together Piss off! to Pierce And YOU! Don't you ever shove me again, you little degenerate! :Vizole: You're swerving around Pierce's point, why not listen to the message he brings? cheekily grinning 'Cuz it's a good point to try and learn from these things. :Black Eyes: Fuck off 'izole, nobody cares about you or your shitty rhymes. Pierce looked really frustrated, clicking his tongue in irritation as he tries to figure out what to do about these two bickering musicians. If they don't get along, they're not going to make any progress. :Pierce: Oh lord, again with the petty squabbling! at his eyelids We have two weeks to finish this record that we've poured so much soul and hard work into making, and this is what we're doing instead? We could be making some real progress by around now! :Devina: Making everything about the money as usual, I see. her arms I'm a passionate musician, I record music because I love music. I don't work for money, Pierce, and I thought that was the point of this band from the very beginning! :Pierce: Think about it this way, Devina! his fist tightly If we make enough money from our first record, we could have better production values, a better studio, and a lot more freedom to do whatever we want! I want to play for passion too, but we need to get somewhere or we'll be too broke to get things moving along! :Devina: I'd be really ashamed if I told Larry as a grown man that I got my fame through working with a douchebag like yourself. coldly at him Look. You've been way too focused on our earnings, you don't care about us, you don't know how to dissolve fights without pushing things apart. Now get the fuck out of my house, and take that shitty record with you. Don't use anything I wrote up for this band, asshole. Right as Black Eyes and Vizole opened their mouths to object, Devina snatched up the record tape and hurled it straight down at the pavement, causing it to shatter on the floor. All the tracks were destroyed. Pierce just looked at the mess she made on the floor, slowly breathing in and out. Black Eyes immediately pulls out a mace, preparing to swing it at Devina as Vizole tries to dismantle it from his hands in a subtle way. :Black Eyes: Y-YOU ASSHOLE! growls YOU RUINED ALL OUR HARD WORK BY BEING A HEINOUS ASSHOLE! :Devina: It's over. out the door, ignoring Black Eyes Pierce, if you don't leave any sooner, you're not going to like having the cops take you away. Get the fuck out. Pierce looked frozen for roughly 20 seconds. He then awkwardly ran out from the room, audibly bursting into tears as soon as he left the labs' front yard. Black Eyes looked really frustrated, destroying his drumset with lasers from his eyes before storming out, pulling the middle finger to Devina before walking out. Vizole looked really upset, turning his head to Kilmister. She looked way too angry to notice him at first, but a loud hiss alerted her to his presence. :Vizole: As if I'd record anything without him, Ms. Kilmister. up his guitar Did you not understand that all he was trying to do was keep us afloat to make the record, then have a bunch of fun once we've found a bit of success? Holy shit. You ruined months of hard work! :Devina: Too angry to bother rhyming anything now, huh? her head away Whatever, I don't care, you were all really unappreciative of my contributions! :Vizole: Excuse me? Vizole walks over to Hazel's desk, pulling off the items he left there earlier. :Vizole: You'd be mistaken, Devina Kilmister. up the cover He was waiting to share the cover he made for our release, and now that you've ruined our chances of getting this record out and sold, you might as well see the surprise he was waiting to share with you all. Vizole pulls open the linear notes roughly. :Vizole: Look at this. points If you look closely, you can see he bothered crediting every single one of us for every single song on the record, something he also did with our fucking demo tape. Vizole throws the cover case to the floor, watching it shatter just like the Vortex of Chaos tape the band recorded together. Vizole takes a deep breath as he picks up Devina's bass guitar. She didn't notice, as she was too busy looking stunned while looking at the album art Pierce designed. :Vizole: You had no idea how excited he was to show off everything he had today. his fists He finally felt like he overcame his autism-imposed limits or whatever, and here you are acting like a child and overreacting by destroying everyone's hard work. Grow up, Kilmister, you're 37! Vizole does the middle finger as he smashes Devina's bass guitar against the wall, doing it enough until it's practically splintered. He then leaves after pushing over Pierce's desk, pulling the middle finger. :Vizole: Fuck you! After witnessing everyone leave, Devina sighs to herself as she looks at the train wreck of a recording studio she has now. :Devina: Whatever really, they're all assholes. away the smashed album case Guess I'm going to the Moore Lounge today. Devina turns out the lights and then leaves the recording studio. ---- In another place, at Room #13 of the Satellite 15 lobby, Pierce was shown sobbing away at a desk. He sniffled a bit as he opened his desk drawer, pulling out a photo of himself and the other band members together. :Pierce: I suppose some things just weren't meant to last, huh. as he puts it back I know the band's been going through some tensions for a while now, but it's just been ridiculous today. I suppose there won't be a Black Haze rocking the underground scene after all. Pierce lifts up one of his palms, channeling enough telekinetic energy to open the fridge and fetch him a beer. He sips it down quickly, placing a palm on his forehead out of pure frustration. :Pierce: Sometimes empathy just isn't the ticket to success, is it? the beer bottle aside Maybe I was just overly optimistic? Maybe nothing's my strong suit after all. I don't know. Pierce sighs to himself. :Pierce: Oh who am I kidding? his shoulders I should call Silver. Pierce dials up Silver, rolling his eyes a bit as the incubus doesn't respond right away. Upon dialing him again, no answer. He knew Silver did this on purpose, calling him a third time, with him answering this time. :Silver: Third time's the charm, how can I help ya? :Pierce: Silver, this is no time for games. his throat My band broke up today and I don't really know what to do about it. Everyone just seems angry at each other and I don't think there's any hope of us coming back together. :Silver: Bummer. yawns Wait a minute, weren't you guys so close to actually finishing that record? :Pierce: Yeah, we were really close to finishing it up. grunts Then... after some petty fights, Devina decides to smash the record tape before I showed her what I was up to. :Silver: That's fucked up, man. hums over the phone Maybe I can try and help you out. If the band broke up because of Devina's abrasiveness, then I don't think you can do much more than you have. :Pierce: You mean, by me somehow doing everything in my power to piss her off? :Silver: I know you wouldn't try to hurt her, honey. just a bit more There just needs to be a bit of divine intervention, that's all. You know everyone's numbers? :Pierce: Alright then. sighs To call up Vizole, you c- Silver begins laughing over the phone. Pierce looks confused. :Pierce: What? :Silver: Vizole's over here, silly! just a bit more He came over here, didn't want to talk about anything, and went straight to sleep on your bed. If you're sad about this, I bet he is too! I'll talk to him myself in a bit... how 'bout the other two numbers? :Pierce: They're 1-3532035 and 1-5833522, for Devina Kilmister and that Black Eyes guy respectively. his teeth, changing his tone to be serious Please don't stir any trouble with them, I'm already in deep enough trouble as is. :Silver: Sure thing hon! smiles I'll get back when I'm done doing what I'm doing. :Pierce: What would that be, Silver? :Silver: You'll find out soon enough! :Pierce: Righttt... sighs I just want to say that when you talk to Devina, rip into her for me. She's been a manipulative, abusive, and controlling piece of shit the whole time. Pierce places down the phone, taking a deep breath. :Pierce: Hopefully my boyfriend will be able to resolve this crisis. out a cigar, lighting it How the hell am I gonna help Silv pay off taxes if I don't have a job? ---- At the Moore Lounge, we can see a sober Devina Kilmister sitting in a chair, watching a news broadcast overhead. :Newsman: Today in Satellite 15 politics, it's been discovered that a notorious troublemaker named Mallory remains on the loose, with 838 deaths directly attributed to her misdeeds. It appears she's taken her name from the popularity-surging Mallorism. Theories surrounding her imply that all the deaths she's responsible for were actually sacrifices for the god Mallory. Good friend and New Naxaz City mayor Valerie Heartgold finds this all to be very sketchy and believes Mallorism to be a fraud of a religion, while up-and-coming runner for the next mayor elections Gonzalo Zyncho disagrees with her and believes in the public opinion. We'll continue updating you all on the situation as more and more information about this mysterious woman continues to pop up. :Devina: How the fuck are people this dumb? her head The Mallory we see on the loose and the Mallory they see in the church look identical. They're the same thing! Devina then hears Green Day's "When I Come Around" blaring from the cell phone in her pocket. Confused at who can be calling her by 8PM, she picks up the phone, surprised to hear a familiar incubus breathing on the other end. :Silver: Hello there, Ms. Kilmister! You mind if I talk to you a bit? :Devina: God, if this is about Hazel and that disastrous band of his, I don't want to talk about it. sighs Is this what you decided to call me about? :Silver: No point dancing around it, so yeah I am. a deep breath But do you mind bringing your head out of your ass for one second? :Devina: Alright, fine. the phone I don't think you can break me though, Silver. Your boyfriend is manipulative, controlling, and too much of a mes- Silver hisses over the phone, making Devina shut up. :Silver: That's enough tongue from you, old lady. his tongue Listen 'ere. I think you've been way too controlling of a band that ain't even yours! Did you not try to get to know Pierce or Vizole well at all? :Devina: I came into that band for the love of playing. :Silver: Well, you'd probably find a band you'd want to play with if you bothered spending time trying to know everyone else better! his eyes If you bothered listening to Pierce and listening to ALL of his visions, you might have had an easier time getting along with the band! But no, you chose to be a little bitch! Devina nods. Even though Silver couldn't see it, it was the only way she could acknowledge it at the moment. :Silver: Everyone in the band was having a bad time 'cuz of you. his arms From what Pierce told me, you were whiny, bossy, and manipulative. Ya tried to do things your way without the rest of the band's opinion! No wonder nobody liked you as a person! Devina frowned. Shit, he's right, she thought to herself. :Silver: But don't get me wrong though. Pierce's come home to me several times, talking about how awesome your galloping basslines are and appreciating your touches on the production. You're really understating the passion this guy had for his work... you making him out to be a puppet for corporate greed is the most foolish thing you've ever done! Devina looked down at the floor.. :Devina: Alright, I fucked up a bit. a long, deep sigh Why do I fuck everything up? :Silver: Don't attempt to guilt trip me young lady. frowns If you really want to make it up to everyone, you're going to have to apologize to the other bandmates. If it's of any interest to you, I have a back-up copy of the unfinished demo tape, just as an earlier revision. :Devina: I understand. :Silver: See? This could have all been resolved by everyone getting to know each other better. a bit C'mon. Leave the whining and moaning behind and get that band back together. Get that record on the shelves so you four can record something truly majestic. Like, y'know, Mad Season's "Above" or Soundgarden's "Badmotorfinger". :Devina: Alright. :Silver: This is goodbye now! Silver hangs up. Devina decides to dial up Pierce now. The screen switches to his perspective, showing him sickly in bed. He picks up the phone. :Pierce: Hey. :Devina: I'm sorry Pierce for acting how I did in the moment, that really wasn't cool of me. sighs I know it's a bit early to ask for forgiveness, but I learned my lesson from Silver. I should have spent more time trying to getting to know you all better instead of trying to make the band my own the way I did. :Pierce: It's alright, you know I'm not really the type to hold grudges. down Though, we won't be able to record together. Our instruments were destroyed and your studio's a total train wreck. And you still destroyed that demo tape... :Devina: It can be put behind us! a bit There's a demo tape that Silver can salvage from his place, and I'd be more than willing to clean up my studio so we can try again. We can just sync-play to the tape with refined instruments from Cole's shed. :Pierce: I'm glad you're feeling more aware of what you've done wrong. But... you've done some irreparable damage to all of us, and I'm sure you'll understand if Cole disagrees with playing with you. Black Eyes also needs time to forgive you. If we're not all back together within two weeks, consider Black Haze quits. :Devina: Alright... :Pierce: Listen, I'm glad you're apologetic and I appreciate you coming out to talk to me about this. sighs But I need some time to myself right now. I'll see you later if the rest of the band agrees to reform. Pierce hangs up, leaving Devina alone. :Devina: Man... the phone down Fuck, I had no idea I've done as much damage as I have. I should be more considerate of my actions next time. :Oyster: You need a drink, hon? :Devina: I'm trying to break my alcohol addiction, so I'll pass this time. smiles Thanks for asking though, Oyster. You're a good friend. Oyster smiles as she walks off into the kitchen, blushing pink at the cheeks. ---- The screen switches to Black Eyes, who's talking to Silver through a headset embedded in his head in a dark, dusty basement. :Black Eyes: ...Alright, thank you for calling me. his metallic scalp Mmm, I should have reconsidered how I acted towards Pierce and the others. I'll get a control over my temper. Thanks. Bye! Black Eyes shuts off his voice communicator, shaking his head as he dials up Pierce's number. :Black Eyes: Hey Pierce, I just talked to your boyfriend. his raspy throat Sorry for being a bad boy back there at the studio. I wanted to continue the band with you, but Devina made me lose my temper and I didn't really know how to handle the matter in a peaceful way. :Pierce: It's alright man. sighs Look, I'm not looking to resurface Black Haze until I know everyone's on board. Devina sounds revitalized and ready to try it again, but I don't think Cole's rearing to go. :Black Eyes: Hey, if Kilmister's ready to head back and try this again, and if everyone else is on board, I'm sure Cole will come back. cackles No petty fights should keep that monster of a shredder down! :Pierce: He doesn't like to be called a shredder... just call him a guitarist. Black Eyes tries to not lose his patience with Pierce. He knows that the band's not going to come back together if they fight like they did earlier. :Black Eyes: Right, he's a good ol' guitarist. his hands But you know what I mean, we're gonna be able to sort things out and get back to recording sooner or later. :Pierce: Right. I just hope that Cole's willing to try again after how you and Kilmister behaved back there. sighs We can't have adults acting like children over there. :Black Eyes: Let's not take things out on me or on anyone else. to sound cheerful I just wanna record stuff again with y'all, it'd be good for everyone if we all get on good terms with each other! :Pierce: Right. Suddenly, they both hear Devina and Vizole pop up in the middle of conversation! Their voices are now connected to Pierce and Black Eyes' connection. :Devina: Hey, hopefully I'm not interrupting anything. :Vizole: Nor I. a bit over the phone Silver gave me the thumbs up that everything would be alright if we just talked things out and settled our differences. :Pierce: Nah, it's good that you two are here. :Devina: I think that's the only thing we can really do. sighs I'm largely responsible for all the bad shit that's been going on with the band. I'm sorry guys for being incompetent and whiny, especially given my age. :Black Eyes: Likewise, I apologize for being aggressive and violent in the studio room. :Pierce: Sorry that I keep making excuses to skip work when I notice my potential is any less than perfect for the day, it's something I really need to work on. :Vizole: Hopefully the amount of times I've gotten drunk and loose in the studio can be forgiven. laughs I promise to never again use alcohol in the studio... won't ever give in! Everyone smiles simultaneously. :Pierce: I think it's clear that all we needed to do was calm down and talk to each other. smiles I forgot that I left a demo tape backup with Silver... Cole, I want you to bring it to the studio tomorrow. :Vizole: Gotcha, hon! :Devina: I'll clean up my studio tonight and try to get replacement instruments to make up for the one demo tape I smashed up. :Vizole: You don't need to be afraid to borrow instruments from my stock, I have a lot of backup instruments and that's why I wasn't afraid of smashing up anything some hours back. a bit We can't afford to do that anymore, but I can dust off some hand-me-down guitars and drumkits from the back of my supply rack. :Devina: Thanks Vizole, you really are a good pal. Vizole grins for real. :Black Eyes: I'll continuously regurgitate my own shit tonight and eat it back up until I'm disgusted enough to not have nearly as much energy to be as aggressive or angry as I was. :Pierce: Uhh... thanks? Everyone has a good, hearty laugh together. :Pierce: Glad we've all come to our senses tonight. smiles Let's join back up tomorrow. I'll get Silver to come up to our studio with fresh, hot pizza in a maid outfit. It's been a while since he's done that for us. :Devina: Sounds like a good plan to me. a deep breath, clearing her throat Pierce, I promise to listen to you better when I'm in the studio now. I believe everything you stand for and I'm willing to do what it takes to get to have the amount of creative freedom I want. :Black Eyes: Anything's cool with me as long as I get to play the drums as hard and loud as I wanna play them. cackles We should get some shuteye... how bout we get to the studio at 5PM beginning tomorrow? :Vizole: Excellent plan, of that I'm a fan. but this time out of relief I'll gather some instruments, tomorrow, so we not wallow in a sea of sorrow. :Devina: You stole that rhyme from Jerry Cantrell, you FRAUD. giggles Nah just kidding, I'll show up at the studio tonight to clean it up, then go to sleep. G'night! :Black Eyes: Good night! :Vizole: Good night sexy people~ :Pierce: G'night. Pierce hangs up, stretching out his arms tiredly. :Pierce: Alright... Pierce goes to bed, pulling apart the covers, almost falling over when he does. :Mallory: Hello there! :Pierce: Oh gross, an oversized cockroach. Loud, feminine screaming can be heard as the camera turns black, with the sound of a flyswatter being very loudly heard on repeat. ---- The next day, the band were shown back together in the studio, rehearsing together once more. They were holding refurnished, refined instruments from Vizole's studio in New Naxaz City, and the studio's been cleaned of all debris. Shredder cameos painting the walls while a new case for the band's debut album (redesigned by Pierce all over again) rests on the dining table. :Vizole: Alright babes, take one! We're gonna cover... Nickelback! :Devina: Gross... :Vizole: Eh, it's a for-fun session. Why not? Devina laughs. :Devina: Alright, so which one do we do? Vizole smirks. Before you knew it, they were playing the opening riff to Nickelback's "Animals". They start to rock out together. :Vizole: I, I'm driving black on black, uhh I just got my license back, I got this feeling in my veins this train is coming off the track, now I'll ask polite if the devil needs a ride 'cuz the angel on my right ain't hanging out with me tonight. As Vizole continues to sing Chad Kroeger's terrible, terrible lyrics, Silver comes in wearing a maid costume, holding a big tray with overly meaty pizza on it. :Vizole: As I tried to tell her dad it was her mouth that I was kiss- oh shit, hey Silver! :Silver: Y'all so horny... playing Nickelback? Really? Everyone laughs from embarrassment as they come to the dining table, taking some seats so to take a break from playing. As they sit close together, Pierce holds up a glass. :Pierce: Cheers, y'all? :Devina: Cheers! :Vizole: Cheers~ :Black Eyes: Beers! :Silver: Cheersss... They all clink together their glasses of beer, drinking peacefully. THE END Other information Characters *Silver Zin *Pierce Hazel *Vizole Cole (debut) *Devina Kilmister (debut) *Black Eyes (debut) *Shredder (debut; cameo) *Mallory (cameo) *Voetrice (mentioned) Settings *Kilmister Labs Recording Room, Sector 1 *Motel Room #13, Satellite 15 Lobby *Moore Lounge, New Naxaz City Category:COLD❄BLOOD Category:Subpages